Suspicious
connections in the Alexander Litvinenko death case prosecution have received little
media attention. They reach deep into British official circles. Litvinenko was
a reputed former Russian spy who died mysteriously in London in 2006. News reports claimed he was
murdered with radioactive polonium on orders of Russian president Vladimir
Putin.

But a careful analysis now shows a murky web of affiliations and intersections that
call into question the whole media story. It also casts serious suspicion upon
the integrity of the British investigation and prosecution.

Here's what analysis shows: There are connections between the man who was the
British Crown Prosecutor at the time of Litvinenko's death, and the attorney who
has been representing the widow Litvinenko, and with the attorney representing
the Russian accused of murder by the prosecutor.

Curiously, when prosecutor Ken MacDonald had announced intentions to charge that
Russian, Andrew Lugovoi, with the murder of Litvinenko, the London corner had never concluded that
Litvinenko was indeed murdered. MacDonald's action was widely regarded as
affirming the allegation that Vladimir Putin was somehow behind Litvinenko's
death. That accusation was made by Boris Berezovsky, a wealthy arch-enemy of
Putin's who resides in London, hiding from
criminal convictions back in Russia.
MacDonald's siding with Berezovsky led to the serious and yet unresolved rift
between the United Kingdom
and Russia.

But MacDonald's history and connections are enough to raise suspicions. He
served as head of the Crown Prosecution Service from 2003 to 2008. He came to
that office from Matrix Chambers, a law firm he helped found in 2000. Following
his government service, he returned to his law firm in 2008.

Ben Emerson is an attorney representing widow Marina Litvinenko. He too is
employed at Matrix Chambers, and with MacDonald was one of its founders.

The man MacDonald accused of murdering Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, is
reportedly represented by Jessica Simor, an attorney also at Matrix chambers.
Media reports say she works at Matrix with Cherie Booth, another founder of the
firm. At the time when MacDonald's charges caused the rift between the UK and Russia,
Booth's husband, Tony Blair, was prime minister of the UK. Before leaving the government,
MacDonald was knighted for his service, and now enjoys the title "Lord Ken
MacDonald."

I'm not sure what all that adds up to, but I do believe that it should be
disclosed.

Clearly, the media that has covered the Litvinenko case has neglected to focus
attention on this suspicious web of interconnections. What's more, former
prosecutor MacDonald seems to have been less than transparent himself. Just
last year the New York Times quoted him as saying he has the "gravest
suspicions" of Moscow's
involvement in the Litvinenko case. But the report doesn't mention all his
entanglements with players on various sides of this mystery.

In the Litvinenko case, the Matrix Chamber appears to be not a
"matrix" at all, but instead a "locus" of activity.

This week there will be another pre-inquest hearing on the Litvinenko death.
There was a dramatic turn of events at the previous hearing. Originally, focus
had been on the Berezovsky implication of Putin. But suddenly a new coroner,
Sir Robert Owen, has thrown things wide open. Now even British culpability in
the death is said to be considered. Some say that move is just a ruse in
response to accusations that the inquest is rigged in favor of Berezovsky's
version. The results of the hearing may shed light on that.

In the meantime, the widow Litvinenko has plaintively implored, "It's
important we know the truth." She's previously revealed a
belief that her husband was the victim of a Kremlin plot. Now she hopes the
inquest will "discredit competing theories." That doesn't sound like
an open quest for the truth to me. But she's requesting financial donations to
support that quest. She says that Berezovsky has stopped paying Matrix Chambers
for work on the case because he is now broke. Her plea for money, however, has
been spectacularly publicized, and smacks of the Berezovsky PR machine still at
work.

William Dunkerley is author of the books "Litvinenko Murder Case Solved," "The Phony Litvinenko Murder," "Ukraine in the Crosshairs," and "Medvedev's Media Affairs," all published by Omnicom Press. He is a media business analyst and consultant (more...)